Drawer assembly

ABSTRACT

A drawer assembly comprising a front panel, a rear panel, a bottom panel, two side panels and two side rails is disclosed. Each side panel extends between the front and rear panels at a respective side of the drawer assembly and has an associated one of the side rails vertically spaced from that side panel. A rear end of the side rail is connected to the rear panel by means of a clip having a locking formation, the clip being provided on one of the side rail and the rear panel, and a complementary locking formation provided on the other of the side rail and the rear panel. The portion of the other of the side rail or rear panel that has the complementary locking formation is insertable into the clip to bring the locking formation and complementary locking formation into an interlocked condition.

This invention relates to a drawer assembly having side rails and more particularly a means of fastening the side rails to a rear panel of the drawer assembly.

Drawer assemblies are often designed to be knocked down for the purposes of ease of transportation or flexibility of configuration. The knocked down parts of drawers of this type must be easily assembled by the general public without the requirement of specialized tools or skills.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PRIOR ART

For drawer assemblies provided in the knocked-down form, a user will have to assemble the sides, back, bottom and front panels, in addition to other accessories such as handle or locks. With new construction materials and methods, drawers are no longer solely made from wood or wood products; other materials such as formed sheet metals or plastic moldings are increasingly being used. It is now common to have a drawer assembled with parts of varying heights and made from a variety of materials.

Particularly for drawer assemblies meant to accommodate objects of comparatively great height, frequently only the front and rear panels are made correspondingly high with the side panels relatively lower in height. In such assemblies, side rails or railing rods that are vertically spaced above the drawer side panels are provided at each side of the drawer assembly. These side rails or railing rods are fastened to the front and rear panels, parallel to each other, at both sides of the drawer assembly and serve to stabilize the drawer. Also, in cases where such a drawer assembly is used as a filing cabinet for example, these side rails or railing rods will serve as file hanging or support rails.

Often, with this type of drawer assembly the side hanging rails are attached to both the front and rear drawer panels in a manner that is not sufficiently secure, causing these side rails to become detached from either drawer panels when the assembly is in use. Consequently, the contents of the drawer would be spilled out. It would therefore be desirable to have a drawer assembly that solves this problem.

Such a drawer assembly is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,840,512. In this prior assembly, a fitting for fastening a side rail member to a side of a rear wall or a side wall of a drawer is provided. The fitting includes a plate-shaped supporting member and a fastening member. A supporting member is screwed to each side of the rear wall and has a laterally projecting anchoring member and two side flanges for positioning of the supporting member relative to the rear wall. The laterally projecting member of the supporting member is provided with a slot and recess for receiving the fastening member of the fitting. The fastening member has a threaded portion and a cylindrical non-threaded portion which is snugly received within the rail member. The threaded portion enables the fastening member to be screwed into the side rail member. Subsequently, the side rail member with fastening member screwed thereon is mounted to the anchoring member of the supporting member via the anchoring member slot. The supporting member and fastening member with screwed on side rail member are then clamped together via a clamping screw. This clamping screw is screwed into the fastening member and projects through a slot on the supporting member when the side rail member is engaged thereon.

It is obvious from the above description, that the structure of the fitting and manner in which it is used to engage or attach a side rail member to a rear wall of this prior drawer assembly is complicated and time consuming for the general user. Also, secure attachment of the side rail member to the rear wall of this prior drawer assembly depends largely on the skill of the user in firstly, securely screwing the side rail member to the fastening member of the fitting and subsequently, clamping this fastening member having side rail engaged thereon, to the supporting member (anchoring member) of the fitting.

Additionally, parallel alignment of the two side rail members on either sides of the drawer assembly is made unduly difficult because of the multi-step manner of attaching the side rail member to the rear wall. A user would firstly have to ensure that the two supporting members on either side of the rear wall are properly positioned and both fastening members screwed into an associated side rail member at a similar depth. Subsequently, use of both clamping screws to clamp the supporting member (fixed to rear wall) to the fastening member with screwed-on rail member on both sides of the drawer assembly would need to be coordinated and synchronized.

Also, due to the need for a side rail member-rear wall attachment fitting having numerous components, manufacturing of this prior drawer assembly would be costly.

This invention thus aims to alleviate some or all of the problems of the prior art, and to provide a drawer assembly having side rails that is practical, easily manufactured and can be assembled without the use of special tools or skills.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

In accordance with the invention, there is provided a drawer assembly that comprises a front panel, a rear panel, a bottom panel, two side panels and two side rails. Each side panel extends between the front and rear panels at a respective side of the drawer assembly and has an associated one of the side rails vertically spaced from that side panel. A rear end of the side rail is connected to the rear panel by means of a clip having a locking formation, the clip being provided on one of the side rail and the rear panel, and a complementary locking formation provided on the other of the side rail and the rear panel. A portion of the other of the side rail or rear panel that has the complementary locking formation is insertable into the clip to bring the locking formation and complementary locking formation into an interlocked condition.

In an embodiment, the clip is provided at a rear end of the side rail. The clip may define a gap, between the clip and the side rail, for receiving the inserted portion of the side rail or rear panel.

According to a further embodiment, the locking formation comprises a tab on the inside of the clip and the complementary locking formation comprises a receiving aperture on the rear panel. The tab may be formed on a resilient leg of the clip and further comprise a flat steep edge surface and a sloping edge surface relative to the surrounding leg portion.

In yet another embodiment, the locking formation comprises a receiving aperture on the clip and the complementary locking formation comprises a tab on the rear panel.

In a further embodiment, the rear panel further comprises side flanges to which the rear ends of the side rails are connected. These side flanges may extend rearwardly from the main body of the rear panel.

According to another embodiment, the side rail further comprises an overhang portion along its length. The rear panel may further comprise a recess adjacent each side flange for receiving said overhang portion of each side rail.

According to yet another embodiment, the rear panel includes an aperture that permits access to a free end of the clip to release the interlock.

According to a further embodiment, the rear panel is made of sheet metal.

The objective of the drawer assembly of this invention is to provide easy assembly of the side rails with the rear panel without compromising on security or firmness of attachment.

As is apparent from the preceding paragraphs, no additional fastener or fitting is required to engage a side rail to the rear panel of this drawer assembly. Secure attachment of each side rail to the rear panel is achieved simply through interlocking of the locking formation and the complementary locking formation. For example, in the preferred embodiment, the portion of the rear panel having the complementary locking formation is insertable into the side rail clip to bring the locking formation and complementary locking formation into an interlocked condition. As such, the shape and configuration of this drawer assembly, particularly its rear panel and two side rails enables the general user to quickly and simply engage or disengage each side rail from the rear panel of this drawer assembly in a single step without the need for special skills or tools.

Furthermore, the simple configuration of the side rail with clip and rear panel with receiving aperture negates the need for multiple components and therefore, saves manufacturing cost and time.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The invention is illustrated, although not limited, by the following description of embodiments made with reference to the accompanying drawings in which:

FIG. 1 shows a perspective view of a drawer assembly according to a preferred embodiment of the invention.

FIG. 2 is an exploded view of FIG. 1.

FIG. 3 is a side view of FIG. 1.

FIG. 4A shows a rear view of the rear panel of a drawer assembly according to the embodiment of FIG. 1.

FIG. 4B is a front view of FIG. 4A.

FIG. 4C is an enlarged view of a top corner of the rear panel as seen in FIG. 4B.

FIG. 5A is an outer perspective view of the side rail according to the embodiment of FIG. 1.

FIG. 5B is an inner perspective view of the side rail according to the embodiment of FIG. 1.

FIG. 5C is a sectional view of the rear end of the side rail of FIG. 5B.

FIGS. 6A and 6B shows the slide rail of FIGS. 5A to 5C being slidably connected to the rear panel of FIGS. 4A to 4C.

FIG. 7A is a sectional view of FIG. 6A.

FIG. 7B is a sectional view of FIG. 6B.

FIG. 8 shows a vertical sectional view of the side rail clip tab interlocked with the rear panel upper side flange receiving aperture.

FIGS. 9A and 9B shows the side rail of FIGS. 5A to 5C being mounted to the front panel of a drawer assembly of FIG. 1.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE EMBODIMENTS

FIGS. 1 to 3 show a drawer assembly comprising a front panel 10, a rear panel 40, a bottom panel 20 with each side of the drawer assembly consisting of a side panel 30 and side rail 50. Each side panel 30 extends between the front 10 and rear 40 panels at one side of the drawer assembly with an associated one of the side rails 50 disposed above and vertically spaced from that side panel 30. In the preferred embodiment, the rear end of the side rail 50 is provided with a clip 60 having a locking formation and the rear panel 40 is provided with a complementary locking formation. The rear end of the side rail 50 is attached to the rear panel 40 by interlocking the side rail locking formation and rear panel complementary locking formation. This interlocked condition is achieved by inserting the portion of the rear panel 40 having the complementary locking formation into the side rail clip 60.

The rear panel 40 of the drawer assembly, as seen in FIGS. 4A to 4C, comprises a sheet metal member having a top, bottom and two side edges. A top horizontal flange 41 that is perpendicular to the rear panel main body and projects rearwardly away from the drawer assembly is provided at the top edge of the rear panel 40. A bottom slot 42 having a substantially U-section defined by upper and lower horizontal flanges that projects forwardly into the drawer assembly, is provided at the bottom edge of the rear panel main body. In other words, the top horizontal flange 41 and upper and lower horizontal flanges of the bottom slot 42 are provided on opposite faces of the rear panel main body. The bottom slot 42 receives the bottom panel 20 of the drawer assembly.

A pair of upper 43 and lower 44 side flanges is also provided at each side edge of the rear panel main body. Each pair of upper 43 and lower 44 side flanges extend rearwardly from the main body of the rear panel. The lower-side flanges 44 are provided for attaching the rear panel 40 with the two side panels 30 at each side of the drawer assembly. The upper side flanges 43 on both sides of the rear panel 40 are laterally spaced from the top horizontal flange 41 of the rear panel 40 such that a recess 46 is defined at each top corner of the rear panel main body. Also, each upper side flange 43 is provided with a receiving aperture 45 located towards the top of that flange. Each upper side flange 43 having the receiving aperture 45 together with associated corner recess 46 is provided for connecting the rear panel 40 to a side rail 50 of the drawer assembly. The rear panel main body is further provided with a pair of access apertures 47 with each aperture located vertically below the top corner recesses 46.

The two side panels 30 (seen in FIGS. 1 to 3) are preferably formed from sheet metal and have front 31 and rear 32 vertical attachment flanges for attachment to the front 10 and rear 40 panels of the drawer assembly respectively. The front vertical attachment flange 31 of each side panel 30 is provided with a plurality of apertures allowing each side panel 30 to be attached to the front panel 10 by way of screws through these apertures. Both side panels 30 are attached to both the front 10 and rear 40 panels at either side of the drawer assembly, such that the two side panels 30 are parallel to each other. Also, each side panel 30 is provided with a horizontal attachment flange 33 for attachment to an associated side of the bottom panel 20 of the drawer assembly.

As seen in FIGS. 5A to 5C, each side rail 50 is a sheet metal member having a vertical flange 55 and a horizontal flange 54. The horizontal flange 54 is disposed on the side rail 50 such that it faces outwardly away from the drawer assembly. The top of the vertical flange 55 is curved in an inward-direction (towards the inside of the drawer assembly) to form an inverted U-shaped overhang portion 56. In other words, the horizontal flange 54 and the overhang portion 56 are disposed about opposing faces of the side rail vertical flange 55. Each side rail 50 is also further provided with an inwardly folded tab 51 at its front longitudinal end for removably fastening the side rail 50 to the front panel 10 of the drawer assembly. The tab 51 is perpendicular to the vertical flange 55 of the side rail 50 and has an aperture 52 and bottom-edge opening 53 for receiving screws. The aperture 52 and bottom-edge opening 53 are vertically aligned and centrally located with respect to the width of the tab 51. As is apparent, minimal tooling is required for fixing each side rail 50 to the front panel 10 of the drawer assembly, as shown in FIGS. 9A and 9B.

Each side rail 50 is also provided at its rear longitudinal end with a clip 60 formed on the inner side of its vertical flange 55, by stamping out a portion of that flange 55 such that the clip 60 has a step portion defining a closed end 62 and a resilient leg portion 65 ending in a lip or foot portion 63 slightly bent in an outward direction. This clip 60 is oriented on the side rail vertical flange 55 such that, its open end 61, with the lip or foot portion 63, opens toward the rear panel main body. A punched out tab 64 is formed on the resilient leg 65 of the clip 60 with the tab 64 protruding into the space between the inner face of the clip leg portion 65 and the vertical flange 55 of the side rail 50. This protruding tab 64 has a flat steep edge surface 66 and a sloping edge surface 67 relative to the surrounding leg portion 65 of the clip 60. The tab flat steep edge surface 66 is disposed towards the closed end 62 of the clip 60 and the sloping edge surface 67 towards the open end 61. Alternatively, the clip 60 may be a separate piece affixed onto the vertical flange 55, for example by welding, at a mounting base to define the closed end.

In use, as seen in FIGS. 6A, 6B, 7A and 7B, each side rail 50 is attached to the rear panel 40 of the drawer assembly via interlocking of the side rail clip 60 having the protruding tab 64 (locking formation) with the receiving aperture 45 (complementary locking formation) of the associated upper side flange 43 of the rear panel 40.

Firstly, the slide rail 50 is hooked onto the top edge of the rear panel upper side flange 43 via its inverted U-shaped overhang portion 56, such that the rear longitudinal end of the rail 50 protrudes or “overshoots” from the rear of the upper side flange 43. Subsequently, the tab 64 of the side rail clip 60 is interlocked with the receiving aperture 45 of the rear panel upper side flange 43 by sliding the side rail 50 in a forward direction (toward drawer front panel 10) over the upper side flange 43 until the clip protruding tab 64 is engaged within the receiving aperture 45. This is possible as each top corner recess 46 defined between an upper side flange 43 and the top horizontal flange 41 of the rear panel 40 and the inverted U-shaped overhang portion 56 of each side rail 50 enable each side rail to be slidable relative to the rear panel 40 in the assembly operation. Additionally, each upper side flange 43 of the rear panel 40 is easily inserted in the space defined between the inner face of the clip leg portion 65 and the vertical flange 55 of its side rail 50. This defined space preferably has a width substantially equal to the thickness of the upper side flange 43 of the rear panel 40. The sloping edge surface 67 of each clip protruding tab 64 enables the inside of the clip 60 to ride over the edge of the upper side flange 43 without catching on it upon start of insertion. Similarly, the outwardly bent lip or foot portion 63 also aids in preventing the clip 60 catching on the edge of the upper side flange 43. The action of inserting the upper side flange 43 opens up the clip 60 against its bias towards the side rail vertical flange 55. Once the clip tab 64 reaches the receiving aperture 45, the clip bias holds the tab 64 in place, with the flat steep edge surface 66 abutting the adjacent wall of the receiving aperture 45. As such, when each upper side flange 43 of the rear panel 40 is fully inserted into its associated defined space within the clip 60, the protruding tab 64 of the side rail clip 60 will be firmly engaged within or interlocked with the receiving aperture 45 of the rear panel upper side flange 43. In this position (shown in FIGS. 6B, 7B and 8), the free end of the upper side flange 43 of the rear panel 40 is abutting against the closed end 62 of the side rail clip 60. Also, the upper side flange 43 of the rear panel 40 is said to be “sandwiched” or “clipped” between the inner face of the clip leg portion 65 and the vertical flange 55 of side rail 50. Thus, the rear end of the side rail 50 is engaged with the rear panel main body 40 at its rear face.

As above-mentioned, the rear panel main body 40 is also provided with a pair of access apertures 47, each aperture being located below its associated top corner recess 46. These access apertures 47 permit access (for example, by inserting a screw driver) to the open end 61 of the side rail clip 60 in order to release the interlock of the clip tab 64 with the upper side flange receiving aperture 45. Disengagement or releasing of the interlock is achieved by lifting the outwardly bent lip or foot portion 63 of the open end 61 of the clip 60. When this is done, the clip 60 is opened up against its bias towards the side rail vertical flange 55 and the clip tab 64 is released from the upper side flange receiving aperture 45 as its flat steep edge surface 66 is disengaged from the adjacent wall of the receiving aperture 45. The side rail 50 is thus free to be slidable in a rearward direction (away from drawer front panel 10) and therefore, removed from rear panel 40 of drawer assembly.

In an alternative embodiment, (not shown in drawings), the rear end of the side rail 50 is provided with a clip 60 having a receiving aperture (complementary locking formation) and the rear panel 40 is provided with a protruding tab (locking formation) on its upper side flange 43. Interlocking of both locking formations (tab and receiving aperture) is achieved in a similar manner in this embodiment as in the above-described preferred embodiment.

A further alternative arrangement within the scope of the invention has the clip 60 with the locking formation mounted on the rear panel side flange and the complementary locking formation in or on the end of the side rail. Other features remain basically as described.

Additionally, while the above embodiments envisage a through-aperture for receiving the tab, this is not essential. Instead, the receiving aperture may take the form of a recess in the relevant flange or clip leg, having a depth sufficient to securely receive the steep edge of the tab and lock the tab in place.

Apart from the above-described form of clip, the clip could be of a kind having a U-shaped section. In this case, one leg of the clip is mounted on the side rail or rear panel. The other leg is free though biased towards the first leg at its distal end.

As will be readily apparent to those skilled in the art, the present invention may easily be produced in other specific forms without departing from its scope or essential characteristics. The present embodiments are, therefore, to be considered as merely illustrative and not restrictive, the scope of the invention being indicated by the claims rather than the foregoing description, and all changes which come within therefore intended to be embraced therein. 

1. A drawer assembly comprising: a front panel (10), a rear panel (40), a bottom panel (20), two side panels (30) and two side rails (50); each side panel (30) extending between the front (10) and rear panels (40) at a respective side of the drawer assembly and having an associated one of said side rails (50) vertically spaced from that side panel (30); a rear end of the side rail being connected to the rear panel by means of a clip (60) having a locking formation, the clip being provided on one of the side rail and the rear panel, and a complementary locking formation provided on the other of the side rail and the rear panel; wherein a portion of said other of the side rail or rear panel that has the complementary locking formation is insertable into said clip to bring the locking formation and complementary locking formation into an interlocked condition.
 2. A drawer assembly as claimed in claim 1, wherein the clip (60) is provided at a rear end of the side rail (50).
 3. A drawer assembly as claimed in claim 1, wherein the clip (60) defines a gap, between the clip and the side rail (50), for receiving said inserted portion of the side rail or rear panel.
 4. A drawer assembly as claimed in claim 1, wherein said locking formation comprises a tab (64) on the inside of the clip (60) and the complementary locking formation comprises a receiving aperture (45) on the rear panel (40).
 5. A drawer assembly as claimed in claim 4, wherein said tab (64) is formed on a resilient leg of the clip (60) and further comprises a flat steep edge surface (66) and a sloping edge surface (67) relative to the surrounding leg portion.
 6. A drawer assembly as claimed in claim 1, wherein said locking formation comprises a receiving aperture on the clip (60) and the complementary locking formation comprises a tab on the rear panel (40).
 7. A drawer assembly as claimed in claim 1, wherein said rear panel (40) further comprises side flanges (43) to which the rear ends of the side rails (50) are connected.
 8. A drawer assembly as claimed in claim 1, wherein said side rail (50) further comprises an overhang portion (56) along its length.
 9. A drawer assembly as claimed in claim 8, wherein said rear panel (40) further comprises a recess (46) adjacent each side flange (43) for receiving said overhang portion (56) of each side rail (50).
 10. A drawer assembly as claimed in claim 7, wherein said side flange (43) extends rearwardly from the main body of the rear panel (40).
 11. A drawer assembly as claimed in claim 1, wherein said rear panel (40) includes an aperture (47) that permits access to an open end (61) of the clip (60) to release the interlock.
 12. A drawer assembly as claimed in claim 1, wherein said rear panel (40) is made of sheet metal.
 13. A drawer assembly as claimed in claim 2, wherein the clip (60) defines a gap, between the clip and the side rail (50), for receiving said inserted portion of the side rail or rear panel.
 14. A drawer assembly as claimed in claim 2, wherein said locking formation comprises a tab (64) on the inside of the clip (60) and the complementary locking formation comprises a receiving aperture (45) on the rear panel (40).
 15. A drawer assembly as claimed in claim 3, wherein said locking formation comprises a tab (64) on the inside of the clip (60) and the complementary locking formation comprises a receiving aperture (45) on the rear panel (40).
 16. A drawer assembly as claimed in claim 2, wherein said locking formation comprises a receiving aperture on the clip (60) and the complementary locking formation comprises a tab on the rear panel (40).
 17. A drawer assembly as claimed in claim 3, wherein said locking formation comprises a receiving aperture on the clip (60) and the complementary locking formation comprises a tab on the rear panel (40).
 18. A drawer assembly as claimed in claim 2, wherein said rear panel (40) further comprises side flanges (43) to which the rear ends of the side rails (50) are connected.
 19. A drawer assembly as claimed in claim 3, wherein said rear panel (40) further comprises side flanges (43) to which the rear ends of the side rails (50) are connected.
 20. A drawer assembly as claimed in claim 4, wherein said rear panel (40) further comprises side flanges (43) to which the rear ends of the side rails (50) are connected. 